Abstract: Nonwoven fibrous webs including amorphous polymeric fibers with improved and/or more convenient bondability are disclosed. The nonwoven fibrous webs may include only amorphous polymeric fibers or they may include additional components in addition to amorphous polymeric fibers. The amorphous polymeric fibers within the web may be autogeneously bonded or autogeneously bondable. The amorphous polymeric fibers may be characterized as varying in morphology over the length of continuous fibers so as to provide longitudinal segments that differ from one another in softening characteristics during a selected bonding operation.

Abstract: A coherent nonwoven fibrous web comprises directly formed elastic fibers that have a molecular orientation sufficient to provide a birefringence number of at least 1×10?5 and preferably at least 1×10?2. The web can be made by a method that comprises a) extruding filaments of elastic-fiber-forming material; b) directing the filaments through a processing chamber in which gaseous currents apply a longitudinal stress to the filaments that attenuates and draws the filaments; c) maintaining the filaments at their orienting temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress for a sufficient time for molecules within the filaments to become oriented along the length of the filaments; d) cooling the filaments to their orientation-locking temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress and further cooling the filaments to a solidified fiber form; and e) collecting the solidified fibers as a fibrous nonwoven web.

Abstract: A coherent nonwoven fibrous web comprises directly formed elastic fibers that have a molecular orientation sufficient to provide a birefringence number of at least 1×10?5 and preferably at least 1×10?2. The web can be made by a method that comprises a) extruding filaments of elastic-fiber-forming material; b) directing the filaments through a processing chamber in which gaseous currents apply a longitudinal stress to the filaments that attenuates and draws the filaments; c) maintaining the filaments at their orienting temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress for a sufficient time for molecules within the filaments to become oriented along the length of the filaments; d) cooling the filaments to their orientation-locking temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress and further cooling the filaments to a solidified fiber form; and e) collecting the solidified fibers as a fibrous nonwoven web.

Abstract: Nonwoven fibrous webs comprise fibers of uniform diameter that vary in morphology along their length. The variation provides longitudinal segments that exhibit distinctive softening characteristics during a bonding operation. Some segments soften under the conditions of the bonding operation and bond to other fibers of the web, and other segments are passive during the bonding operation. Webs as described can be formed by a method that comprises a) extruding filaments of fiber-forming material; b) directing the filaments through a processing chamber in which the filaments are subjected to longitudinal stress; c) subjecting the filaments to turbulent flow conditions after they exit the processing chamber; and d) collecting the processed filaments; the temperature of the filaments being controlled so that at least some of the filaments solidify while in the turbulent field.

Abstract: A coherent nonwoven fibrous web comprises directly formed elastic fibers that have a molecular orientation sufficient to provide a birefringence number of at least 1×10?5 and preferably at least 1×10?2. The web can be made by a method that comprises a) extruding filaments of elastic-fiber-forming material; b) directing the filaments through a processing chamber in which gaseous currents apply a longitudinal stress to the filaments that attenuates and draws the filaments; c) maintaining the filaments at their orienting temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress for a sufficient time for molecules within the filaments to become oriented along the length of the filaments; d) cooling the filaments to their orientation-locking temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress and further cooling the filaments to a solidified fiber form; and e) collecting the solidified fibers as a fibrous nonwoven web.